Papa John's Signs First U.K. Sports Sponsorship With The Football League

Papa John's, the NFL's official pizza sponsor, on Monday announced it has signed an agreement as the official pizza partner of the U.K.'s the Football League. It is the first U.K. sport sponsorship for Papa John's, the world's third-largest pizza company. The deal gives Papa John's exclusive rights to the Football League's marks and its digital assets, including online banners, dedicated emails to league and club fans and exclusive Facebook and Twitter promotions (Papa John's). MARKETING WEEK's Sebastian Joseph reported Papa John's "will target football supporters with bespoke promotions through its franchisees" as the centerpiece of its one-year deal with the League. It will offer thousands of match tickets and promotions in partnership with the League's 72 member clubs from next month, when it kicks off a nationwide campaign to mark the start of the football season. The sponsorship "will also promote the brand's loyalty scheme, launched at the start of the year, in a bid to push its online delivery service." Papa John's Marketing Dir Andrew Gallagher said that the business is "using the 'successful' grassroots sponsorship model it has implemented to support its sponsorship of NFL teams" (MARKETING WEEK, 7/15).